Tailor-made to fit, literally

P.Y. Yee put clothes on you that fit and were of superior quality.

He was one of the infamous tailors in Hong Kong, and I got to know him visiting his tailor shop in Hong Kong during my several visits there.

It was like getting new skin, his coats and suits fitting so well.

He had a remarkable memory, greeting me by name though my visits were a year apart. I learned of Yee through someone who had used him on an earlier occasion.

His shop wasn’t fancy, and I often wondered what he thought of my store-bought clothes. He must have quickly glanced and then shielded his eyes.

The first step was to make a list of what you wanted by going over his price list. Prices varied due to your selection of material.

On my first visit I chose to get a sky blue, double breasted sports coat, and a suit.

After looking through some catalogs, I selected style and then spent some time choosing the fabrics I want.

Then came out the tape for more measurements than I thought there were.

PY asked about my schedule and suggested that I return the next day for my first fitting.

I arrived the next day for the fitting, and he draped a cheesecloth-type thing on me. He went over this and made some adjustments to both the coats and trousers.

His work area for those being fitted was a tiny area with  

a sheet curtain between you and the person being fitted next door.

 This all took an hour or so, and it was requested that I return the next day for a final fitting.

The next day was a mirror of the first, except he didn’t make many adjustments.

That was the extent of my first set of clothes, which I must note fit perfectly. I was spoiled, and it took some time before I ever bought anything off the rack.

It was almost a year later that I was back in PY’s place in Hong Kong.

I had written and got an appointment beforehand.

PY greeted me by name and explained that he and his wife would like to take me to dinner. Thinking he knew all the good places to eat, I gladly accepted. Both PY and his wife were most gracious.

Earlier that day I had selected a couple of sport coats, another suit and a pair of shoes.

The fittings went along about the same, except the curtain came down and there was a woman in the booth next door. The inconvenience to the two of us was quickly repaired and I don’t think either of us was too upset.

On the shoes, I selected an oxford with alligator leather, and wondered how this would come out.

I had my two days of fittings and wondered how this selection would be when I got home.

Weeks later, when I got back to Bothell, my clothes and shoes were waiting for me.

It was a little less than a year later when I visited PY’s shop again. He remembered my name, and we had a good visit during the process of selecting styles and fabrics.

Again, we went through the same routine with fittings and payment of the current bill.

I must add that the tailored clothes were less costly than store bought clothes, and they fit — and the fabrics were of a higher quality.

The third trip pretty much took up all the travel time I could muster.

About six months later I received a letter from the tailor who stated that he would be in Seattle on a business trip and wondered if I wanted to have something else made.

I met PY for the final time at the Four Seasons Hotel for final order.

Everything I got from PY was first class and fit perfectly. 

Even to this day, I hate buying something off the rack.

PY made dress shirts also, but I had a Seattle source for this and was happy with the results.

PY had a gift for business and kept his customers close.